Everything Isn't Always as it Seems
by Asphodel Storm
Summary: After the war, Hermione and Draco return to Hogwarts for their 7th year, however, both of them will soon find out that nothing is what it used to be and that everything isn't always as it seems.
1. The Beginning

Harry had finally gotten Teddy tucked in and James down in his crib when Teddy called out from his room "Uncle Harry." Harry turned back and went into his room. "Yes Teddy?" he asked gently from the doorway "We have bedtime stoweee….pweeeease" Teddy pleaded. Harry grinned at the young boy "Of course! Now, which story will we be reading tonight?" Teddy beamed "dis one!" he said excitedly as he pulled a book from under his pillow. " _Hogwarts: A History_ again Teddy?" Harry teased. "Pwweeeease?" the boy cried. "Ok, ok, we'll read it."Harry climbed onto Teddy's bed and Teddy snuggled up to him. Harry began to read, filling Teddy's head with pictures of enchanted armor, ceilings, and a world full of magic. It wasn't long before they both were asleep, the pair dreaming completely different dreams of the castle and the magic within.

* * *

Ron was stressing out. Tomorrow he would be going back to Hogwarts to restart his seventh year. He wasn't really sure about it yet. He knew that Harry and Hermione had helped out with the rebuild. He wondered if it was all going to look the same, which he didn't really think that it would ever be the same. It was all going to be so different and so many people weren't returning and Fred… Ron's throat caught. He hadn't really thought about his brother that much, hadn't been around the family that much either, it was just too difficult. Ron had spent most of his summer going between a local Quidditch team and visiting Hermione and Harry.

He was glad that George was taking the time out of re-opening the shop to take him to King's Cross Station. Since things had become so tough, he figured it would do both of them some good. Ron shook his head, trying to think of something else when he realized that neither Harry nor Ginny were returning either. Harry was now an Auror and Ginny a Healer. They also had a family to take care of. Ron scoffed. He remembered when Harry and Ginny announced their engagement. Everyone was at the Burrow celebrating Teddy's first birthday. They also announced that they had formally adopted Teddy and were expecting a child of their own.

Ginny was so excited and so happy, she was practically glowing. Ron had never seen her or Harry that happy. He was happy for them; he just wished he could find that special person who made him feel that happy. Yeah, he and Hermione were dating, but it just didn't feel like true love to him. They were happy, the snogging was great, and he enjoyed every moment they shared so Ron wasn't going to complain. After a few minutes had passed, Ron reminded himself that he needed to finish packing. With a flick of his wand, his robes, textbooks, and other important items from his room all neatly fell into his trunk. Ron locked it and sat it on the floor. He then changed and crawled into his bed, promptly falling asleep.

* * *

When Ginny awoke she was slightly surprised to see that Harry still hadn't come to bed. She got up and wandered to the end of the hall where there was a dim light coming from Teddy's room. When she reached the doorway the scene before her only made her adore Harry more. Teddy was tucked under Harry's arm snuggled against him, and Harry had _Hogwarts: A History_ splayed across his lap. It wasn't the first time she had caught them like this and knew it wouldn't be the last, however, it made her heart soar everytime.

As Ginny made her way to Teddy's bed she laughed silently to herself, Harry never can say no to a bedtime story. "Harry…Harry" she whispered to him gently as she shook him to wake him up. He awoke with ease and ran his hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly at Ginny. "Hey Love, he just wanted a bedtime story." Ginny just smiled as Harry got up and tucked Teddy in. As she cut the light off she said to Harry "C'mon, let's get you into bed."

* * *

Hermione awoke with a start, practically jumping out of the bed. She immediately checked her clock and let out a sigh of relief. It was only 5, and she didn't have to be to Kings Cross until 8. Usually, she wouldn't have to be there until 9 but she had to be there earlier to meet with the head boy and the other prefects to go over duties and other matters. They also had to help the first years load their trunks onto the train.

Hermione was glad that she was up early. It gave her plenty of time to get her morning run in. She got up and began going through her routine and as she was putting on her socks she began to think about how different this year was going to be… especially without Ginny there for her to vent to. Hermione sombered a bit as she remembered this past summer. They had worked so hard to try and figure out how to reverse the memory charm that she had placed on her parents before the war but so far she had made no progress. Hermione hoped that when she got to Hogwarts Professor McGonagall could add some insight. She lightly shook her head as she remembered that McGonagall wasn't just a professor anymore she was headmistress now.

Hermione grabbed her wand and slid it into her hair to hold it into place, knowing it wouldn't come out while she ran. She grabbed her keys from the dish beside the front door and headed out. As she walked down the pavement to the park, she began to think about the war and all the lives that had been lost. Tonks and Remus, Fred… her throat caught as she remembered him. He and George were the funniest guys she knew. Hermione knew how bad his death affected George. He hadn't been in the shop or even had it open since then due to the photographs and memories.

Ron had told her that George was going to go with him to Kings Cross. She figured that she'd let them have their time before going to meet him. It would do both of them some good. She liked Ron and how easy it was with him. She didn't have that "head over heels" factor, but she was happy for now and that's all that mattered. When she reached the park, Hermione stretched to clear her head and started her run, thinking of the day ahead.

* * *

Draco sat in the armchair by the fireplace in silence and watched the flames as they licked the walls. He sipped his tea slowly, trying to remember why the hell he was going back to Hogwarts. He was the last person that anyone would want to see. After the war, the Malfoy name was forgotten in the high ranks of society along with its reputation. People no longer feared the name but they hated it just the same.

Ever since the aftermath of the battle, Draco had found himself alone. His father had been taken to trial and executed for his crimes as a death eater. He didn't miss him either. Draco knew that no matter what he had done, he was always a failure and a disgrace to him. _I was good in school, second in my year, but even that wasn't good enough all because I was behind the mu-_ Draco stopped mid thought as he had sworn that he was going to change. He had promised his mother.

Draco missed her terribly. She had gotten sick at some point during the war from all of the stress that was going on and never got better. She passed away shortly after his father had been executed. The last few hours Draco had spent with her, Narcissa explained that blood status, or anything else that his father had spouted at him, didn't matter. She told him that she had never believed all the pureblood bullshit that Lucius had gone on and on about, but still followed him just the same because she loved him. Draco scowled, even after everything his father had put her through she still loved him.

He doubted that his mother had even known how badly his father had treated him. There were times Draco had lied about his scrapes and bruises "Quidditch practice my ass" he muttered. He then shook his head to clear his thoughts of painful early childhood memories that were threating to come forward.

He rubbed his temples, snapped fingers, and called his house elf "Idrisa" "Yes Master Malfoy?" "Please bring me some more tea, and is my trunk packed?" "Yes sir, everything is all set to go" she then dissapparated into the kitchen and returned with a pop "Your tea sir." "Thank you Idrisa. You may now retire to your quarters for the night" "Thank you sir" the house elf replied and then she promptly left with a crack. Draco sat in silence once more, dreading the hours to come.


	2. Welcome Back!

By the time she got home from her run, it was 7:52 and Hermione was freaking out. She only had 8 minutes to get packed and ready before she needed to be at Kings Cross to meet with the Head Boy and Prefects. Hermione hopped in the shower and quickly washed. By the time she got out and had everything together, it was 8:00! She quickly made sure that everything was where it should be and apparated away.

Hermione landed at Kings Cross on Platform 9&3/4 at 8:03. She silently prayed that no one else was here yet. As she began to fix her hair into soft curls, Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind the column he was hiding behind

"As Head Girl, I figured you would have been spot on Granger, but I guess even the best of us slip up sometimes," he said walking towards her with a smirk. Hermione jumped a bit, surprised to see Draco Malfoy at Kings Cross this early. That only meant one thing.

"You're a prefect?" she asked with a hint of astonishment in her voice. Draco shook his head and stepped closer until he was inches away from her face

"Head Boy" she whispered when she saw his badge

"Surprised much Granger?" he said. Hermione saw something flicker across his eyes briefly but it quickly changed to nothing. As she was about to retaliate against his remark Professor McGonagall came through the passage from 9 & 3/4 to signal them through.

"Ah! I'm glad you two are here already. There are some things that I needed to personally discuss with you before we reach Hogwarts." They both nodded and followed her to a small room and sat down.

"Now I'm well aware that both of you know that when Hogwarts was rebuilt, some of the dormitories were remodeled such as the dungeons, Ravenclaw Tower, and the heads dormitory. Now the Head's dormitory was changed to where it has extra rooms for the students such as your selves who are returning to re-start and finish their 7th year instead of just housing the two of you. Do you have any questions about this arrangement?"

Hermione and Draco glanced at each other momentarily and then Draco spoke up.

"Is it our choice on who gets the rooms, or have you already selected them? Also is there a rule about co-ed sleeping quarters?"

"Since there are only a handful of students who are returning such as yourselves, there really wasn't a need to do any selecting. The only 7th years who are returning are of course you two, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Zabini, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Lovegood, and Mr. Nott. Mr. Nott, however, has been elected as a Prefect and will stay in the Slytherin dorm." Draco groaned at the news, interrupting the Headmistress before she could finish.

"Oh shove off it Malfoy! We all have to learn to get along at some point, so why don't you put your pureblood insecurites-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" He yelled cutting her off immediately.

"You have no place opening your mouth about matters you would not even begin to understand! For a know-it-all, you certainly do not know everything! So please SHUT UP about matters that do not concern you!" With that said, Draco stormed out of the room and was immediately followed by McGonagall, leaving a very stunned Hermione wondering what had just transpired.

* * *

Ron had gotten everything out of the car and ready, and was now following George onto the platform. "Thanks for coming with me George"

"Anytime little bro" Ron hugged him and they both kinda stayed there for a few minutes, thinking about how much things had changed since the last time they were here. George was the first to break the hug

"Be careful" he warned "Oh and I also threw in some Weasley products in your trunk for when you need a good laugh" Ron thanked him

"You know George he would have wanted you to keep the shop open for those who need a really good laugh from time to time." George smiled a bit

"Yeah, he always did think about stuff like that"

"Don't shut us out. We miss him just as much as you do" Ron said with a heavy heart

"It's just, he was my best friend"

"I know. We don't have to forget him. We can always have a laugh and remember all of you guy's greatest moments." The train whistled, signaling time to load up and go. "We will get through this George." Ron said "Together." He hugged his brother once more and boarded the train.

* * *

Hermione had just finished her meeting with the other prefects and was sending them to patrol the train when she noticed that Malfoy was not there. She scowled and thought _McGonagall should have never picked him. He's only going to shirk his duties!_

Hermione got up and was exiting the heads compartment when she ran smack into Blaise Zabini. "Oh!" she said in shock

"Watch where you're going Granger!" he barked.

"I'm sorry…have you seen Malfoy by chance? He missed the meeting"

"Yeah, he's with McGonagall"

"Oh"

"Yea yeah, now get lost!" Zabini said as he pushed past her.

Hermione wandered down the train, calming down and quieting compartments until she found Ron. He was with Neville and Luna and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. She knocked and entered the compartment. "Hi guys," she said with a smile

"Hey Mi," said Ron "How did the meeting go?"

"It went okay. Malfoy is head boy"

"WHAT?! That slimy git?!" yelled Ron

"I know; McGonagall also told me to tell you guys that she wants to meet with all returning 7th years after dinner."

Luna smiled "I really like her as headmistress. She's going to do such a good job" They all nodded, and then sat in silence as they all remembered the loss of Dumbledore and the last time they were at the school. Hermione was the first to break the silence as she stood up and went to the compartment door.

"You might want to change into your robes now, I expect we'll be arriving soon" Hermione waved as she left and started getting everyone else ready as well.

* * *

Draco groaned again for the fifth time in the last half hour. As Heads, he and Hermione had to stay up front with the group of first years before taking their seats in the Great Hall. He was already sick of this, however, he knew that this was per his agreement with McGonagall as part of the conditions that were laid out for his return to school.

"How much longer is this bloody thing going to take?" he asked Hermione "Not very long, the sorting is almost done now" she replied. A few moments later after the last first year had been sorted and the Heads were seated, McGonagall approached the podium and began to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts! And I am happy to say that! There have been many renovations and much reconstruction to make this school year possible so we thank those of you who came out and helped. I know that many of us are still hurting and feeling the losses of the war. Here at Hogwarts, we are a family and we shall heal together.  
I have a few beginning of term reminders and announcements; The Forbidden Forest is off limits to all first years unless accompanied by a teacher for lesson purposes. Be wary that some corridors may still be under construction so take caution when using them. Also, we have a few new teachers to announce. Your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Professor Beaker and your Ancient Runes teacher is Professor Reed. I hope you all have a wonderful year at Hogwarts! Let the feast begin!"

After the feast had ended, McGonagall met with the returning 7th years at the teachers' table in the great hall.

"Now, I personally wanted to go over your living arrangements with you. As Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy are heads, they would have gotten the heads dormitory, however, this year we have altered that dormitory to not only house them but you others as well, although you have to room in pairs. There are no restrictions on your sleeping arrangements, but I expect you to all be responsible and act like mature adults. Also, since you are all of age, you all have unrestricted access to the library, which includes the restricted section Ms. Granger, as well Hogsmeade at the end of your school day and on weekends. I advise you not to abuse these privileges.

The password for the dormitory is 'unity.' Now, I trust you all can sort out your rooming situation on your own and I hope you will be civil about it."

As she turned to leave she carefully examined each student's face noticing who had come back, how each of them had changed, and remembering those who only lived in memories. After she dismissed them everyone started arguing at once

"There's no way! You can't sleep there!"

"Stupid Ravenclaw!"

"We don't want you in there with us!"

"Stupid bouncing ferret"

"Poor ickle weasel"

"ENOUGH!" yelled Hermione. Everyone stopped to look at her, even Draco. He watched her as she stood on the table, her eyes narrowed. He admired her fierceness when she was angry. 'Wait, had he seriously just complimented Granger?' He didn't dwell on it long, and then she began to speak

"Look at us! Arguing over who sleeps where like first years. Honestly! Now, we can't separate boys and girls because there simply isn't enough room. There are only so many bedrooms for all of us. Now, pair up with someone who you wouldn't mind bunking with for the year."

With that, people broke off into pairs: Neville and Luna, Draco and Pansy, Ron and Hermione, and Blaise ended up with his own room. "Lucky..."Draco muttered under his breath who didn't get a say in his partner because Pansy had pretty much claimed him as her roommate the minute it was announced to find one.

After the pairing was finished Hermione spoke again "Now since that's settled, I think it's time we all go and get settled in and get some rest! Term starts tomorrow and I have more important things to do than to stand here and argue." With that, everyone followed Hermione up the stairway to the portrait where she gave the password and everyone went their separate ways for the night.


	3. The First Night

After getting all settled into their new room, Hermione plopped down on their bed with a content sigh "Isn't this amazing Ron? I mean, the common room, the suites, even the bathroom! Oh, they are all so splendid! Well, the only downside is that there is still only one bathroom for all of us to share. I will have to talk to McGonagall about that sometime."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." said Ron who was already in bed and almost asleep. Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered a quiet "boys…" She got up from the bed and changed into her pajamas. She told a half sleeping Ron that she was going to go and sit in the common room by the fire for a while. She was met with a mumbled "Whatever."

As she opened the door she saw a shadow on the wall that was given off by the fire. Sitting on the couch watching the fire was a mess of blond hair that seemed to give off light.

"Oh! Malfoy" She said curtly, but not coldly.

He never turned but acknowledged her "Granger"

"Why are you in here?"

"Why do you insist on questioning what I'm doing?"

"Just trying to make conversation"

"Well don't"

"I was just being polite, it's late and you're alone."

"And your point is? You're still up and from the looks of it, you're wanting to be alone as well"

"Actually I-"

Draco cut her off and turned and faced her "Save it, Granger. I'm not thick. I could give you a run for your money in wit and in your observation skills, well more-so your lack of them."

While he spoke, she couldn't help but notice how contrasting his silver eyes were with the orange flames behind him. She walked over to the couch and sat down, his eyes following her carefully. She faced him and spoke softly "You may be able to outwit me, but I don't think you know empathy or compassion."

He stood and he noticed that Hermione shifted back ever so slightly. Was he really that bad that people were afraid of him? Did they think he was going to hurt them? "Save your opinions for someone who cares. I don't give a damn what you think I do or don't know. As I've told you before, being a bloody know it all doesn't mean you know me. Goodnight Granger"

He walked around the couch to head to his room as she found words again. "But Malf-"

"Save it Granger, and just so we don't have to talk about it later, I'll take over the night patrol shifts. McGonagall said we should trade up every so often but don't worry about switching those up. We also have to patrol together on weekends."

Hermione didn't dare to ask him why he wanted the late patrol shifts. She figured his reason was probably the same as hers. She was going to take them since it takes her forever to get to sleep these days. She nodded, watching the flames fighting inside the fireplace. "Sounds good"

"Alright"

With that Draco turned and walked to his door, as he turned the knob he glanced back at Granger, who now had her head down, her eyes closed, and had a look on her face that he had never seen before. For the first time ever, Draco saw defeat on her face. Normally he'd be gleeful at this, why wasn't he?

As Ron woke up he rolled over and noticed Hermione wasn't there _. Maybe she went to get her shower_ he thought. After lying there for a while he realized the water wasn't running. _Well, I might as well go get mine._ He left the room and as he was walking to the bathroom he noticed a sleeping figure on the couch warranting a sigh. Had she really stayed out here all night?

***FLASHBACK***

After Malfoy went to his room Hermione sat there contemplating whether or not to go back to the room where Ron was already asleep or stay out here by the fire. She found it rather silly to be asking herself this question. She remembered when Ron and her first decided to try the whole dating thing. It was a while after the war. Ron had really needed her with everything going on and she was glad to be there for him. It just seemed like now since things had reached a normal complacency neither one of them seemed to want the other in a romantic way. Which they weren't ever that romantic, to begin with but it didn't really bother her.

She thought they seemed more like friends and she wanted to ask him about it but she feared his reply. He wasn't exactly easy to talk to when it came to them. Hermione laid down and she began to stare at the ceiling. She started thinking about how just the simplest stuff here at Hogwarts fascinated her no matter that she knew how most of it was possible. She thought about tomorrow and all the duties that came with it. Patrol, new classes, it was going to be a stressful year. With all that running through her mind she found it easy to drift off for once.

That's how Draco found her four hours later. He has gotten up because as usual, he couldn't sleep and unfortunately, he had taken his last dreamless sleep the night before. He grumbled a bit when he looked over and saw that it was 4:30 in the morning. He figured since he knew he wasn't going to get much sleep he might as well do something useful and go get a shower before all the others woke up and started arguing over who went first. Thankfully the room he was in knew he didn't want to share a bed with Pansy so he was able to get up without disturbing her.

When he came out of his room he noticed that Hermione was still out on the couch. Draco stifled a laugh as he saw how exceptionally hilarious she looked due to her giant, bushy hair going everywhere and the fact that she snored was even better. Draco knew he'd have to save these memories to use against her.

He stood there for a minute before it dawned on him just how cold it was out here. He noticed how Hermione was curled up on her side, trying to stay warm. To his surprise, the fire had gone last night. He wasn't completely cold hearted so he grabbed a blanket from one of the chairs and draped it across her. He saw her accept the warmth that the blanket gave her. _Well, my one nice deed of the day has been fulfilled, and quite early too, now I can be typical me all day long!_ He was quite pleased with this and made his way towards the bathroom.

***END FLASHBACK***

Ron shrugged and went over and shook her gently to wake her up.

"Good Morning Hermione, you've got to get up. You've got to be down on patrol in a half hour." She sat up, stretched, and rubbed her eyes. "Thank you for waking me up Ron, I appreciate it." she said fighting a yawn. He gave her a slight smile and went on to take his shower. As she got up she noticed a blanket that she didn't have last night. _That's strange_ she thought. _I know I didn't have it last night, the fire was plenty warm…Ron's too heavy a sleeper and by the looks of it, he rather didn't care this morning…Maybe it was a house elf. They are always being so kind and helpful._

Hermione shrugged as she got up and to get her shower. As she got out she thought she should do something new to her hair. Ginny had given her a book of cosmetic charms that she had been using a bit this summer, however, she felt like she needed something completely contrasting today. A complete change. She quickly found a smoothing spell and her hair fell instantly flat. She found a wide black headband in one of her drawers and neatly fixed it to where her hair was back and off her face. Feeling satisfied she left and headed to the great hall for breakfast.

 **Author's Note**

 **I know this chapter is a bit short, it's a bit of a filler. I hope to get this fic as well as my other on a more regularly scheduled update system. I just started my first week back at my University so I'm trying to get everything all sorted out!**


	4. Class Trouble

_Good lord, does she ever shut up?_ Blaise thought as he finished his breakfast. Pansy had been talking non-stop ever since they had left the dorm this morning. She was going on and on about Draco. This is why Blaise hated relationships. Women, their unnecessary drama, the fuss over their hair and makeup…Blaise sighed and looked at his timetable that Theo had just handed out. He shrugged, his load could have been worse.

At that moment, Pansy freaked out on a second year who accidentally spilled pumpkin juice all over her. He looked up and smiled at the second year to reassure her that it was alright. Pansy didn't like that too much since she had come to breakfast with him since Draco was nowhere to be seen. Blaise just looked down and put his head in his palms. It was going to be a long year.

Draco was tired. Tired of Pansy's constant whining, talking, drama, but he was also just tired in general. He hardly ever slept and when he did, he had the nightmares, and they were progressively getting worse. He thought once he got to Hogwarts they would subside, but the constant talking, the murmurs, and the memories…it was all too much for him. So lately he figured the best option was not to sleep. He really was regretting his decision.

He had hardly been in Ancient Runes ten minutes and he was already dozing off. This Reed guy was boring. Droning on and on about things Draco already knew, or really didn't care for. To give him some entertainment he started to look around the room. Blaise was asleep, which really wasn't a surprise, Pansy was running her mouth to Millicent, the pair of them completely ignoring the lesson, Weasley was out and borderline snoring, and as always Granger was absorbed in the lesson.

Draco thought back to his actions from this morning. He had no clue in hell why he had done it. Yeah, it was cold, but why did he give a damn if Granger was cold? He put his head in his hands and began to run his fingers through his hair to try and get rid of the thoughts in his mind.

At the same time, Hermione was bored. _I'll at least try to look interested in the lesson, but we learned the majority of this last year_ she thought in exasperation. She watched as people all around the room nodded off. The majority of them were returning students but still. A few moments later she realized that the only two people awake in the room, excluding the teacher who seemed oblivious, were her and Malfoy.

She figured that he had to be displeased with something the way he was running his hands through his hair. Hermione noticed how different his hair was. It was lighter than it used to be, was he okay? Why would she notice that? Before she could form another question, Professor Reed signaled that class was over and was sending out scrolls of parchment for their assignment. She scrambled to her feet to gather her books and quill. She honestly needed to quit wondering about other people.

"So caught up in the lesson that you didn't notice that we put our books up ten minutes ago Granger?" Hermione flushed with embarrassment.

"Shove off Malfoy."

"Hmm. Nope. This is fun. I've finally made the great Hermione Granger blush."

"Seriously? Please. Just leave me alone." Hermione ducked her head and practically doubled the speed that she was trying to leave, only leaving her more flustered than before.

Draco put his hands up in mocking. "Alright Granger, I'll leave you alone. For now." He sneered. "Just wait until patrol later this evening. I'm going to be double the trouble." The grin he flashed her made her a bit uncomfortable. She shivered and breathed a sigh of relief when he left the room.

Draco walked out feeling much better than he had this morning. He was very pleased with how that interaction went down. He took out his timetable that he went and got from McGonagall that morning after patrol. As he looked, he noticed that his next class had no title. His timetable just said McGonagall-11:00-12:00. He thought it was odd but didn't really pay much attention to it.

As he walked through the door to the classroom, Draco noticed that there were only two chairs and a singular desk. He didn't have a particularly good feeling about this. His feeling was confirmed when he heard that all too familiar voice behind him.

"Oh no. No. No. No. Malfoy?" She hung her head in exasperation "Please tell me that this isn't happening." Draco turned around and slowly moved his hands up to his heart as he spoke.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Granger. Seriously, it pains me." He saw her hair start to crackle with magic and he grinned like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He lived for these moments where he got under her skin. He saw her wand slide out from her sleeve.

"Now, now Granger. Don't go getting all pissy on me and start something you'll regret." Draco drew his wand, ready for her to start what he was sure to be an exciting duel.

"Oh, I won't regret it one bit." As Hermione raised her wand to shoot a stunner at him she was immobilized from behind. Professor McGonagall had immobilized them both and was now walking to grab a chair to come and sit between them both. She sat down and gave each of them a glance that made them both shudder.

"I certainly did not expect this sort of behavior from the two of you, however, this does further prove to me that I made the correct choice in creating this specific class for the two of you. If I were to look at this situation from the viewpoint of head girl and boy, you would both be stripped of your titles, however, you two are going to make this work." She released the spell holding them both only to find that she had to silence them because they started to speak at once.

"Professor, really ther-"

"I'm not the on-"

"Enough. Both of you. You really ought to be ashamed. This class is for you two specifically. This time has been created not only for head duties to be fulfilled such as setting patrol schedules and planning this year's Christmas ball, but this will also supplement as your counseling class that all students who were in the war or were somehow affected have to take."

Draco watched as all the color drained from Hermione's face as Professor McGonagall finished talking. He knew that this was not going to go over well.

"I specifically placed you both in this class because I didn't think it fair to have you tell your story in front of the others. Especially how your stories intertwine. Now, you both need to understand that this is not a time for pointing fingers. The pair of you are going to have to talk about these things and when you do, you will do so in a civil manner like mature adults. I will not tolerate any childish behaviors, especially like the ones exhibited today. You better prepare for this because it is happening and there is no way out."

McGonagall released the silencing spell and was prepared for more protests, however, she found the room particularly thick with a silent tension. Hermione was looking at the ground, silently counting so she wouldn't spiral into a panic attack. Her hands were trembling and she had begun to tap her foot as to try and get a grip on the thoughts that were racing through her mind, threatening to make her lose control.

Draco watched her with a curiosity. He was slightly afraid that she would burst into tears or start shouting, however, the witch before him was not one that he recognized. She looked terrified and dare he say it, broken. He walked over to the desk and sat down. Professor McGonagall returned her chair and walked to the front of the room.

"A word to the wise about the days we have counseling. You two have to be open and honest or I shall take over and I can assure you that neither one of you will like it." She paused and waited for them each to nod their heads.

"Now, for the remainder of the hour, please fill out this week's patrol schedule. This will be done every Monday at the start of class. I have the prefect's availabilities here which they will update every Sunday. Make sure you plan accordingly due to the patrols that you two do together. I expect a copy by the end of the period. I trust that I can leave you two to get along now? I have some matters that require my attention." With that, Hermione and Draco were left alone.  
Hermione felt like she was frozen in her spot. There was no way that she could handle this class. Not with the things that she was dealing with. There was no way that she was going to open up about the things that wreaked havoc in her brain. She was tempted to run after McGonagall and plead with her to not force her to do this, however, her thoughts were interrupted.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to fucking help me?" She didn't know why, but she started walking to the table. She sat down and looked at the papers before her, waiting for them to come into focus. Draco was surprised at how quiet she was and was about to open his mouth when she spoke.

"Look, I…I don't want to do this and I know you don't either, however it seems unavoidable. I don't want to, I can't. I can't trust you to know." She rubbed her hands over her sleeves almost viciously trying to keep the little bit of control that she had left.

Draco closed his mouth. He was damn curious now and slightly insulted, however, he didn't think that pushing her at this point would be beneficial to his personal health. He made a note to watch her more carefully. "Alright, Granger. Let's get this schedule done and we can go." She nodded and they worked silently unless it was to make sure that the pairs patrolling were making sense. When they were finished, Hermione left the finished schedule on the desk, grabbed her bag, and quietly walked out.


	5. Advanced Arithmancy

Draco sat there for a moment, not sure of what had happened in the past hour. That was a completely different Hermione Granger that he hadn't ever seen. If he was being honest with himself, it really worried him. He saw all the passion and fire in her eyes be snuffed out and her flame extinguished. That was what made Granger, well, Granger. She had such a burning passion for almost anything.

He promised himself right then and there that he wasn't going to start any fights with her. He may rile her up now and then, but that was mainly because Draco liked seeing her blush. He was curious about this morning's events and he promised that he was going to be more observant from now on.

He hadn't liked McGonagall's idea any more than Hermione had. While he was curious about everything that happened after she left his house, but he did not want to have to talk about that night or any of his memories. He quickly switched his thinking as he made his way to Advanced Arithmancy Studies

Hermione watched Draco leave from a tiny alcove across the hall. While she knew that McGonagall's idea was necessary, she didn't like it one bit. TO her, it seemed extremely unfair that she had to participate in counseling with none other than Draco sodding Malfoy, no matter how their stories intertwined.

Hermione knew that he had probably picked up on her panic earlier, however she didn't want to have to bloody discuss it with him! Truthfully, she didn't want to discuss it with anyone. She tugged at her sleeves trying to make the long sleeves even longer. She had ruined the ends with her constant grabbing at them during her panic attacks. She'd had to alter it again tonight.

She tucked her head down and sighed. She hadn't even had lunch yet and her day was already miserable. Hopefully, Advanced Arithmancy Studies would turn things around.

* * *

Ron was apathetic. Ever since he returned, he pretty much just wondered the corridors. He wasn't taking a full course load due to only needing select classes to advance to Auror training. Besides, why take unnecessary classes?

He was on his way to an early lunch when he turned the corner and collided with something solid. He and the object in question both fell to the ground with a simultaneous 'oof's.' Ron sat up and was sitting face to face with Blaise Zabini.

As he stood up and brushed himself off, he spoke, slightly wary of the other male.

"I'm sorry mate."

Blaise didn't know what to say. He had run smack dab into Ron Weasley. THE RON WEASELY, who just so happened to be a person of significant personal interest to Blaise.

He sheepishly ran his hands over his head. "Err, it's alright. I was kind of spaced out."

Ron smiled at "Nice to know not all Slytherin's are right gits. Need a hand?"

All Blaise could do was nod. He reached out his hand and was taken aback when he felt the shock zip through their hands and making a spark above their clasped hands as Ron pulled him to his feet. When a witch or wizards magic is compatible with another's, it often makes a spark if the witch(s)/wizard(s) in question touch. It's almost as if magic can sense their match. Their person.

Ron just stood there, unsure of what to say which was really starting to freak him out. _Why won't he say anything? What does this mean? Are they going to ignore it? Did Ron even notice? Should he say something? Did he realize that they were still holding hands?_

His inner monologue was interrupted as Ron finally released his hand and cleared his throat.

"Err, I uh…I was headed down to take an early lunch while everyone else was still in class. Do you want to come?"

Blaise released a breath that he didn't even realize he had been holding and grinned. "Heck yeah mate. We can also discuss your terrible choice in Professional Quidditch Teams. The Chudley Cannons? Really?

Ron shrugged "Hey, at least I can be a consitant fan and not just a badwagoner!"

Blaise laughed. Maybe coming back wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

During Advanced Arithmancy Studies it took all of Draco's willpower not to look over at Hermione. That was until the pairs for the yearlong project were announced.

"Over the course of this year, you and your partner will be working together to decipher, decode, and even write out new discoveries of numbers and their magical properties. This project cannot be completed on one's own so you and your partner must work together to be successful and pass the class. I have put you in pairs where you will be the most successful."

He was nervous as she began reading off pairs. "Mr. Nott and Ms. Lovegood, Padma and Parvati, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy…" The rest of the partners were drowned out the moment their names left her lips. He knew that it made the most sense, but he didn't think that they would be paired up. He would have bet for her to end up with Theo honestly.

Draco looked over and stifled a laugh. Grangers head was in her hands. He wasn't sure how much more she could handle today. As much as he used to despise her, he was looking forward to working with her on this. She was fucking brilliant.

Hermione knew the minute that Professor Vector announced the yearlong project and that she already had them in pairs, that she was going to be paired with Malfoy. The pairs made sense. The twins rarely worked together but they have opposite strengths and weaknesses so they complimented each other. As odd as the Nott/Lovegood pairing was, it too made sense.

Even though she would rather fight the giant squid than admit it out loud, Hermione wasn't upset at the pairing. It was logical and she was actually looking forward to it. She was never surprised by his academic merit, however, she had been surprised to see him in Advanced Arithmancy Studies.

The way Hermione saw it, the people in this class either needed it for their careers or they simply enjoyed the challenge.

"Now that the pairs have been announced, please move accordingly so that you are not seated with your partner."

Draco grimaced and locked eyes with Granger. They played the power struggle until Draco finally gave in. Once everyone had moved, Professor Vector spoke again.

"Remember, this project is year long, however, your pace is determined by you and your partner. You must report weekly progress. Work at a pace that is comfortable for your pair. The beginning of your assignment starts on page 13." With that, she began to put up other pertinent information on the board for them to reference.

Draco didn't waste any time. "Alright, so where would you like to start?" He was trying to be civil. He didn't want a repeat of this morning or to upset her more than she already was. Hermione didn't respond, she had shut down when Draco sat down.

She hadn't meant to shut down, however, the events from last class were still fresh. She was surprised at how civil Malfoy was being. Hermione figured it was only because they didn't have a choice in partners, but that wasn't the case at all.

At this point, Draco was genuinely worried about Granger's overall mental health, but there was no way that he would ever admit it. He was slightly annoyed that she ignored him, however, it gave him the time to look at her closer.

He noticed that she fidgeted with the cuffs of her sleeves, even absentmindedly. _Wait a minute, Sleeves? It's way too early for sleeves. The humidity alone was awful. How could she stand it?_

He watched her chest rise and fall rapidly. _Was she panicking because of him?_ In an effort to make her feel more comfortable, Draco slid over giving her as much space as he could. He almost wanted to reach out and reassure her that everything was fine, however, he knew that wouldn't go over too well. Seeing Professor Vector eyeing them, Draco leaned over to her and whispered

"I'm going to start writing out the first portion. Join in when you are able to"

Hermione released the breath that she had been holding. For once she was grateful for Malfoy. He seemed to understand without knowing what was going on. Maybe it would be alright, maybe it would all be okay. She released her sleeves and flexed her fingers. Nodding at Malfoy, she indicated that she was finally ready. He slid back over so that they could begin to work.

 **AN: 10/20 Hey guys, so I found a mistake that I had made in Chapter 5 regarding Ginny's occupation! I changed it to amke sure it was consistant with Chapter 1. Please review! I hope to hae the next chapter up soon! It's all freewrite so I'm trying my best!**


	6. An Unlikely Ally

Harry was exhausted. They never really told you how exhausting it was being a full-time parent and Auror. Merlin was he thankful for Molly. These past few months had been crazy. Ginny was practically running ragged around St. Mungo's, despite being told numerous times by not only Harry and her mum, but her boss and medi-witch as well that she needed to slow down and rest.

Harry was just finishing up his lunch break when he got a patronus. _Mr. Potter, your wife has been admitted to St. Mungo's. We request your presence immediately._

Harry went into panic mode. He hopped into the fireplace shouting "ST MUNGOS" as he quickly threw down the floo powder.

Upon arriving he was met by Mrs. Weasley, Teddy, and James. He scooped up Teddy and hugged as tight as he could. "Hey, kiddo." Teddy snuggled into Harry "I happy see you"

Harry smiled at the boy and then turned to Molly who was holding a sleeping James. "How is she?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled at him "She's okay, little exhausted but that's to be expected. "

Harry nodded and put Teddy down so that he could go see Ginny. When he arrived at her room he went in not knowing what to expect. His heart dropped a bit seeing her like this, so vulnerable. Since she was asleep, Harry took this time to talk to the healer.

"Thankfully since your wife works here, she was able to receive the help that she needed immediately. It looks like it's simply just dehydration and overexertion. We will run a few tests just to make sure, but you should be able to leave tonight."

He closed his eyes. _Thank Merlin_. He made his way over to her bed and sat down next to her. She awoke and looked over at him. She almost immediately burst into tears "I'm so sorry! It's all my fault, things have been hectic and I was trying…"

"Shhhh. Everything's alright love. Everything is going to be okay." Harry cut her off and climbed onto the bed to soothe her. "We are both going to take some time off and slow things down a bit okay?"

Ginny nodded and leaned into Harry, practically melting in his embrace. After she had calmed down, Molly and Teddy made their way into the room to check on them. Mrs. Weasley was relieved at the news that her daughter was okay.

"You're going to have to slow down Ginerva." She chastised

"I realize that mum. I was trying to take on too much at once."

After a few more tests to ensure that Ginny was able to go home, they made their way to the Burrow where Mrs. Weasley made a hearty dinner and insisted on keeping Teddy and James for a couple of days.

"You need a few days rest to get feeling like you can keep up with these two. They'll be fine."

After saying their goodbyes, the pair of them flooed home. Harry made sure that Ginny got into bed and he promised right then and there that he was not going to let her overwork herself again. He smiled slightly. The stubborn witch didn't know when to stop. Maybe he'd take the next few days to maybe suggest the Quidditch Correspondent position at the Daily Prophet.

He knew she missed playing ever since she had retired from the Holly Head Harpies when she had become pregnant with James, and he knew that's part of why she took the job at St. Mungo's. She missed the adrenaline rush. Maybe this would be a better, safer solution that allowed for her to tap into her passion.

* * *

Ron had made his way up to the eighth-year dorm after having lunch with Blaise. He left that lunch happier than he had been these past few months. He started to wonder about their encounter and the significance of what he witnessed before lunch.

He wasn't very sure about the whole situation either. He hadn't ever considered the fact that he was attracted to men. He was attracted to Hermione; however, the kissing didn't really do much for him. _I wonder what his kisses would feel like_?

He grabbed what he needed for DADA and made his way back down. Upon arriving, he saw Blaise and couldn't help but offer up a smile when their eyes met.

That sent Blaise into over analyzation mode.  
 _  
He smiled at me. I know I enjoyed lunch, but did that mean he did? Ugh, it's usually not this fucking difficult to read someone._

His thoughts were interrupted by a small piece of parchment that landed on his desk. Blaise looked around to see if he could tell who had sent it. With no luck, he unfurled it and blushed as he read it.

 _Quit overthinking. I enjoyed lunch. Meet up after dinner?_

R

Blaise could barely contain the grin that spread across his face. He quickly penned back that he would love to meet up and suggested his own room since he didn't have to share.

Things were looking up for Blaise. He was certainly excited for tonight, however, a pang of nervousness hit him. What would they talk about? What about him and Hermione?

Once again, a piece of parchment flitted across his desk.

 _Seriously mate. Quit worrying! Everything will work itself out. Can't wait to hang later._

R

Before he could send back a response, the lesson began forcing Blaise to divert his attention.

"Alright class, before we dive in for the year, I would like to get a baseline for where everyone is. Since the best way to get such a baseline is for me to see what you know, we shall be dueling today! I have taken the liberty to discuss with some of the other professors to create what we think are great dueling pairs."

At this Blaise put his head down. He hated pairs. Usually, he got paired with Parkinson and that was bloody awful because she was so shoddy at her spell work that it actually made him look inadequate. Thankfully since she was so dreadful, she didn't get the grade required to take this course.

"Zabini, Weasley, your up first!"

Both of their eyes snapped to each other and they both broke out in grins. Now, this was going to be fun! They made their way down to the front and bowed before taking their dueling stances. While the professor counted down, Blaise took this time to prepare himself and playfully goad Ron.

"Alright Weasley, now I'm not going to take it easy on you!"

"Wouldn't expect you to. I like it rough."

Blaise didn't really expect that retort, nor did he hear the professor signal to begin, so naturally he was caught off guard when Ron hit him with a tickling jinx. Blaise fired back with a jelly legs jinx and almost doubled over in laughter by the sight of Ron trying to maintain his balance.

At this, Professor Beaker was slightly affronted that the boys weren't taking this seriously.

"Alright, boys enough with the first-year jinxes! Let's get this show on the road!"

With that, they both gave the counter curses, and nodded to each other, signaling for the other to really bring it. 

* * *

After Advanced Arithmancy, Hermione took a particularly long and lonely lunch. Upon finishing and gathering her materials, she took her time getting down to Advanced Potions. She secretly wished that she had DADA with Ron instead since it would give her the outlet for her emotions, but was rather glad that she hadn't seen him yet today. He never understood her when she had days like today and wasn't very supportive when she had panic attacks.

However, she was more uneasy about having to be in yet another class with Malfoy. She didn't really know how she felt about this morning, however, she knew that she was grateful for his understanding.

"Hey, Granger. Wait up."

Hermione turned around and saw Malfoy sprinting down the hallway towards her. He had his hands up in the universal signal of surrender.

"I promise, no malice, no tricks. I just want to walk and talk. Make sure you're okay."

She was dumbstruck. He, Draco Malfoy, wanted to make sure that she was okay?

"Why on Earth would you want to make sure I was okay? I thought I wasn't worth your time?"

He visibly flinched at her words. "Look, I'd love to have the chance to discuss this with you in depth later so you can analyze and do all your typical Granger things. However, right now I want to make sure that you are okay."

Hermione looked down at her shoes to avoid his concerning gaze. "Why do I feel the need to tell you the truth and not give you a bullshit answer?"

"Because you know, that I understand what you are experiencing and how it feels. You want someone to give you validation that it's okay and that you're not crazy."

"I thought it would be better coming back here and this would become less frequent. It's gotten worse as the day has gone by. Some of it was exacerbated by you, but you're not the sole cause."

Draco nodded his head. "Things are probably going to get worse before they get better. I have a feeling that instead of dealing with things, you compartmentalized and tried to take care of others hoping it would make yourself better in the process."

He noted that she at least had the decency to look ashamed. "It's your bleeding Gryffindor heart, Granger. If I didn't know any better I'd pick you for a sappy Hufflepuff."

That made her a bit mad "Hey now, I'm no more a puff than you."

"That may be true but at least I don't break myself trying to make others whole again."

Hermione flushed a deep scarlet. She hadn't known Malfoy to be this intuitive ever.

"Why are you so interested in my wellbeing Malfoy?"

"Because, no matter how shitty I've been in the past, I'm a decent enough person to know that you don't let people go through tough shit alone. I also don't particularly see Weasley around for you be comforted by when things go shit-sideways. Granted I don't think you'd open up to him anyways. He couldn't ever understand how you felt."

By this time, they had gotten to the potions classroom, however, neither headed inside yet since they were both more curious about the outcome of this conversation.

Hermione met his eyes and Draco was floored by the amount of pain he saw hidden inside her beautiful chocolate eyes. "I'm free after Potions."

Hermione nodded. "

If you want to discuss things further, I'm willing and only so because at this moment you're the only one who sees right through me. I'd rather talk in private, so I suggest a walk around the lake while others are at supper."

With that, she turned and walked into the classroom instantly putting on her mask once again. For the first time since his mother's passing, Draco had something that he didn't think he'd ever have again. Hope.

During potions, it took all of Hermione's willpower not to overthink the conversation that she had shared with Draco.

 _Draco? Since when do I think of him as Draco? Probably the around the time where he showed that he actually gave a shit that you have panic attacks._

* * *

Hermione fought with herself for the remainder of Potions but was able to concentrate enough to get through the lesson. She walked down to dinner with Luna who was commenting on all the wrackspurts that seemed to follow Hermione around.

"Are you sure you're okay Hermione? Your aura seems a bit off. Usually, you're a nice sea blue color. You're more of a dungeon grey today."

"Honestly, I'm not feeling much like myself at the moment. I think I might go take a walk around the lake. I'm not particularly hungry."

"I often find that times like that are best when done with some company. Would you like for me to accompany you?"

"I much rather like the solitude but thank you, Luna."

With that, the perky Ravenclaw turned and headed into the Great Hall. Hermione reached into her bag and got out her scarf. As she made her way down to the lake, she began thinking about what she was going to tell Malfoy.

It really wasn't his place to be worrying about her, but for some reason, she found it comforting. Until he had called her out on it, she hadn't really paid much attention to the fact that she wasn't confronting everything that had happened. She had officially lost her parents, she had been tortured, she saw so many people die, and to top it all off, one of her best friends died and came back to life.

She found him down at the edge on the opposite side of the boathouse. If she wasn't purposely looking for him, she would have never spotted him. He was squatting near the water's edge, completely oblivious to her presence.

"Careful Malfoy. Don't want something to jump up and bite you."

She withheld a laugh as she watched him jump slightly, losing his balance and almost falling over. She hadn't meant to startle him.

"Perhaps give a better warning next time Granger. If I hadn't of recognized your voice, I would've thrown a hex your way."

She rolled her eyes and made her way down beside him.

"You'd be on your ass before your hex even made it to me." Draco nodded giving her the satisfaction of knowing she was right. There was a bit of an awkward silence as they stood there, neither sure of what to say.

"So um, walk?"

"Yeah, let's walk."

For the first few minutes, their walk was silent. The pair simply enjoying being outside of the castle.

"Well, today was certainly something, huh Granger?"

Hermione nodded and continued to walk in silence until she realized that Malfoy was no longer beside her. She turned around to see him propped against a rock.

"I was wondering when you'd notice I had stopped walking beside you. Now, do you want to talk or did you simply ask me down here so you wouldn't have to be out here alone?"

Hermione flushed and stared at her feet. She walked over and sat down on a rock next to him.

"Honestly probably a bit of both. I just don't know where to start."

"That's fair enough. How about this, I'll talk and then you can whenever you feel comfortable?"

She nodded and waited as he climbed onto the rock he was standing against and sat down facing the lake. He scooped up a pile of pebbles and began tossing them into the lake as he began to speak.

"Well, I suppose I could start with why I am being so civil and not acting like a giant prick."

 **AN:**

 **Hey you guys!**

 **I know, a cliffhanger! I'm sorry! I do have a good jump on the next chapter so I will try my best to have it posted soon! As I mentioned in the last chapter, I am having to write the rest as I go, so I am trying to get you new chapters as fast as I can! However, I don't want to rush and give you guys crappy chapters!  
**

 **I just wanted to say thank you to all who have followed and left reviews! You guys make me feel so overwhelmed with happiness!  
**

 **Please leave reviews, questions, etc! Also, since I more than likely won't have the next chapter up before...HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 3**

-EmDani


	7. So Maybe I'm Not Okay

**AN: I'm sorry it's been a while! As stated in my profile, I handwrite everything before typing so it usually takes me awhile to get everything written and edited! I'm hoping to get a few chapters written and then post them here shortly. I am trying to write a few chapters of** _ **Alone No More**_ **as well so that I can get ahead and get them edited and on a regular update schedule.**

 **I know this chapter is short but I really wanted to get the stage set for their friendship without having to also throw in other characters! The next chapter will be longer, I promise! I hope to have it out within the next two weeks!**

 **As always thank you for the follows, favorites, and please review!**

"As you know, my father was sent to Azkaban and executed shortly thereafter for his crimes. Throughout all of this, my mother became very ill. She and I had many talks about the beliefs and ideals that my father had and how she never believed in them and hoped that I had seen what they had done to our family."

He looked over at Hermione "My mother was a good woman. She just happened to be forced to marry an evil man. Somewhere along the lines, she fell in love with him. I don't understand how. He was a vile man, but that was my mother's prerogative."

Hermione nodded, indicating that he could continue.

"After the war was over, I went through what you're going through. The panic attacks, survivors guilt, self-harm. I tried my damndest to cut away that horrid mark. I was only successful in mangling it. It looks worse now than it used to."

Draco rolled up his sleeve to show her. As soon as she laid her eyes on his arm, her eyes began to fill with tears. None of this was supposed to happen to them. They were kids. The mark was hardly recognizable from all of the scar tissue that had formed, however, people would still know what it was.

"Malfoy.."

"It's alright Granger. I'm managing a lot better now. I just couldn't stare at it any longer. It reminded me of my father and what he did to my mother and I. It haunts me, knowing that I have this and survived. There were too many people who died who were innocent and I got to survive? Kinda fucked up don't ya think?"

Hermione reached over and gingerly put her hand over the mark on his arm.  
"Your actions are the result of a scared boy who wanted nothing more in the world than to save his mother. Your scars do not define you. This mark does not define you. Only your actions can."

Her words washed over him like a sea of comfort. One he felt like he didn't deserve. Draco looked over at her and gave her a sad smile. "Enough about me. We can always discuss it later. Let's talk about you."

She drew her hand back and averted her gaze to look out on the lake. "There isn't much to talk about." He noticed the way she drew into herself, afraid of saying anything that might show him that she was anything from fine.

"Granger. No one else is around. You can drop the "I'm fine" front. I'm certainly not going to tell anyone. I want to help you. Besides, I know you're not fine. I called you out on it remember. That's why we are out here in the first place."

Hermione knew he was right but damn him.

"I know that Malfoy, but I just, I don't.."

"I want you to take as much time as you need. I have nowhere to be and I'm most certainly not leaving you out here alone." She looked at him with the saddest look in her eyes.

"I just, it's hard. Especially being it's you. You were vile and cruel but yet you are the only one who sees through the facade. It's scary to be vulnerable, but it's terrifying me that I feel oddly comfortable opening up to you."

Draco nodded. He understood where she was coming from. It was hard opening up in general but to open up to someone who had been so cruel to you for a better part of seven years was unfathomable.

"Take your time. Dinner has just started and we both know you were planning on going to the library afterward anyways. We have some time. When you are ready, I'm willing to listen."

She nodded and looked out over the lake. The sun was in the early stages of setting and she was at a loss for words. How do you explain the feelings and thoughts that invade your mind, making you panic and feel like the only way you can keep it all at bay is to physically induce pain?

"It started three days after the final battle. I hadn't slept in what felt like forever, and there were so many families to talk to and so many burials to plan. I was suppressing so many emotions and everything that when I got my first few minutes alone, I didn't know what to do."

Draco noticed how she had closed her eyes and began to draw in shallow breaths. He slowly got down from the rock he was sitting on and stood in front of her. He gently placed his hands on hers and began to talk to her in low soothing tones.

"Hermione. You are safe. Everything is okay. I'm proud of the way you opened up there. That wasn't an easy thing to do. You're doing brilliantly. I need you to breathe. That's it, deep breaths. You are safe. I'm not going anywhere. Take your time. Breathe."

He began to gently rub his thumbs in circles over her hands to reassure her that she was indeed okay. After some time Hermione's breathing slowed down to normal and she was able to open her eyes, locking on the steely grey of Draco's full of genuine concern.

"You called me Hermione." Draco nodded. He didn't move his hands from hers due to not knowing if she was truly okay yet.

"I didn't want to scare you by calling you Granger. It might have triggered your panic even further." Hermione smiled at him.

"It was quite nice. It sounded nice coming from you." He averted his gaze to their hands, smiling slightly at her comment.

"Well, how about we start over? Friends?" She smiled at him.

"I'd like that. I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?"

Draco smirked and met her eyes once more which she noted were now full of playfulness and mischief. "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Hermione laughed "You couldn't resist could you?" Draco grinned and listened to her laugh. It was such a beautiful sound.

"It was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up." He watched her closely as she looked down at their hands.

"Thank you for helping me through that. I'm sorry that I didn't get-"

"Hermione. It's okay. We have a whole year to talk about these things. Now, why don't we go up to the common room and get the house elves to bring us up some food. I know for a fact that those types of attacks take a lot of energy."

She nodded and slid off the rock right in front of him, but never let go of his hands. It felt completely normal to her to be standing there holding his hands. She blushed and gave his hands a bit of a squeeze before gently letting them go.

"Thank you, Draco."

"Anytime Hermione. Anytime."


	8. Common Room Inquiries

Blaise was a nervous wreck. He had left the great hall early because the whole situation with Ron was giving him emotional whiplash. Everytime that something great had happened today, all he could think about was the significance of the spark and about Ron's relationship with Hermione. He had never had a problem with anyone. He didn't take a side during the war, however, Blaise did not want to be the cause of two-thirds of the "Golden Trio" breaking up.

In his room, he continued to pace for a good hour, over analyzing everything until he heard a voice in the common room.

"I'll get us some food. I know you aren't that hungry but you do need a bit of something. Turkey sandwich with avocado sound okay?"

Blaise's thoughts were now in overdrive. That was Draco's voice, but who on earth was he talking to? He cast a silent muffliato on his door and opened it slightly so that he could hear better.

"That sounds fine. I'm going to drop my bag off in my room and change into something more comfortable."

Blaise's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. _Holy shit! That...That was Granger!_ His surprise instantly turned into confusion. _Wait. Draco just asked Granger about dinner. What the hell is going on?_ He heard Draco summon a house elf and order dinner for the pair of them. Blaise knew that he really shouldn't be eavesdropping, but it was Draco and Granger for Merlin's' sake! He knew that they were the Heads but still. It sounded as if they were actually friends!

He heard Hermione's footsteps heading back into the common room and Draco ask her

"Do you want to continue our conversation from earlier or talk about something else?"

"I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to get a jumpstart on our Advanced Arithmancy project."

Blaise was absolutely floored. So not only were they civil, they were partners in class? Surely that was a result of a teacher pairing. Neither one of them would voluntarily be the others partner. However, this was certainly an interesting dynamic he was listening in on. He didn't get to listen in long before another voice entered the common room.

"Oi. 'Mione! What on earth are you doing having dinner with him?"

Blaise went pale. _Oh. Fuck. Ron. Fuckk. I forgot I invited him up here. This isn't going to go well. I should probably make myself known._ He made himself look like he had just woken up from a nap and walked into the common room.

"Good lord! How is anyone supposed to sleep with all the yelling!" Ron's eyes went wide at the sight of him. Bloody hell, even waking up from a nap he looks almost perfect. He shook his head. He had never had thoughts about other men like that. Hermione missed the way that Ron was noticing Zabini and instead was more focused on making apologies.

"I'm sorry. Ron here was jumping to conclusions about why Draco and I are civil towards one another and having dinner." She got up and turned to Ron "Why don't we go to our room and chat so that we don't wake up anyone else?"

Ron nodded gruffly and followed her. Blaise looked at Draco, obviously expecting an explanation, however, Draco knew that he had to have been listening in. He doesn't look like this waking up from a nap.

"Drop the act mate, I know you were listening in. I'm a Slytherin too. What do you want to know?" He at least had the decency to appear to be ashamed of being found out.

"When did you and Granger become so civil?"

"Professor Vector paired everyone up in Advanced Arithmancy. Naturally, she paired everyone with polar opposites, so I got partnered with Hermione. We are also head students so we figured it best to put our best interests at the forefront. It helps us out academically if we are not opposed to the sight of each other."

Blaise nodded. "That makes sense, but dinner with her mate? That seems a bit far for just being 'civil.' Plus, what was the business about continuing your earlier conversation."

At that Draco tensed slightly, but kept everything in place. There was no way that he was going to betray the insane amount of trust that she had put into him. Even if she hadn't told him much.

"We had been playing around with the idea of having a welcome back ball. Almost like a muggle 'back to school' bash. She was telling me about them after class and figures that it might be a good idea to promote forgiveness and house unity."

"I like that idea. Tell Granger I'd be willing to go."

Draco relaxed and nodded. "Interesting first day back."

"Agreed. Hey mate, do you remember those old wives tales our mothers used to tell us about magic being compatible?"

Draco laughed, "Oh hell Blaise, you really think they are just old wives tales?"

Blaise looked at him, genuinely confused. Draco took pity on him and explained "Magic is alive just as you and I. Have you ever wondered why certain people are better at certain subjects? Or how seasons affect an individual's magic?" He nodded, indicating for Draco to continue.

"That's due to magic being the base essence of a person. Your magic is just as tailor-made as your robes are. Your magic is yours and yours alone, however, magic also seeks out that in which it lacks. No person on earth contains every single element of magic therefore, it tends to search for what it needs resulting in magical compatibility."

Blaise was dumbfounded. He really should have paid more attention to those old tales. Draco chuckled at him and pressed on.

"With the seasons, magical abilities tend to be stronger in certain seasons. We don't manifest elemental powers, however, we do tend to have stronger magic during the Summer and Winter Solstices."

Blaise seemed to finally find his voice "okay, so can you explain more of this magical compatibility thing. Something happened and I need to know exactly what it is. So how do you know when you have met your magical match?"

Draco gave him a confused look. "What do you mean something happened?"

"Okay, so I bumped into someone today and when they helped me up, there was a spark. I knew enough that a spark usually signals a match like a soulmate, but you seem to know more about the magic part."

Shocked was an understatement. Blaise had met his magical match. Those types of matches had all but died out.

"Mate! That's fantastic news!" Blaise gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, but I don't know how to approach the situation. They are currently in another relationship and I'm not sure about their feelings for me, besides, I also didn't know how much stock to really put into all of it." Draco was opening his mouth to say something when Hermione came back into the common room.

"Sorry about that, Ron can be a bit hot-headed and tends to jump to conclusions."

"It's okay Hermione. I was just discussing with Blaise the idea of the back to school ball thing we had talked about." As Draco spoke, he gave her the 'just go with it' look, indicating that he would fill her in later.

"Oh really? That's good. So, um Blaise, what do you think?

"I think it sounds like a great idea. I wouldn't make it real formal though, maybe save that and have a Christmas ball."

Hermione smiled "That's a great idea!" She turned and looked at Draco "We need to go and talk to McGonagall to iron out the last few details." She hoped he would pick up on her hint for them to go somewhere and talk.

Draco nodded. "Let's go now so we can have it sooner than later." The pair of them left, leaving Blaise in the middle of the common room. He laid down on the couch, closing his eyes and thinking about all the information that Draco had told him about magic. He really needed to figure out exactly what was going on.

At that moment, Ron decided to come back into the common room. He saw the Italian laying on the couch and made his way over to him.

"Hey, can we talk?" Blaise sat up nervously. Ron was new territory for him. He hadn't ever broken up a relationship before.

"What up?"

"I want to talk about what happened earlier. The spark." Blaise froze. He knew that Weasley had an idea of the knowledge due to being a pureblood himself, however, he wasn't expecting him to discuss it with him. He wasn't sure on what to say so he nodded to the redhead, indicating for him to begin.

"Right, well I know that magic can signal someone's true match. My great aunt used to tell stories about bumping into her now-husband and there being a spark."

Blaise froze. He shuffled his thumbs in his hands, too nervous to meet Ron's eyes. He saw him run his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh.

"Look, mate, I don't exactly know a whole lot about this stuff but I can tell you that I believe in this and that I want to explore it more." Now that was the ultimate shocker. Ron was willing to explore this. Whatever this was. Blaise looked up and met his stare

"Honestly I do too, however, I'm not the type of person to go after someone in a relationship. I can't in good conscious explore this with you while you are in a relationship with Hermione. I wouldn't want that done to me, therefore I refuse to do it to anyone else."

Ron bowed his head in agreement. He understood the reasoning behind Blaise's apprehension as well as his disdain for exploring their match while he was in a relationship. If he was being completely honest with himself, his relationship with Hermione lately was a bit shaky. He knew that she had some struggles and wasn't really in a great headspace a lot of times, however, he didn't fully understand the full toll that it was taking on her.

"I'm not too sure how much longer Hermione and I are going to last, but I respect that you wouldn't do that to anyone, no matter the circumstances."

Blaise was intrigued by Ron's admission on his and Hermione's relationship. That usually wasn't information that someone willingly gives. Maybe this was some sort of indication that Ron was letting him know he would be single soon.

Ron didn't know where to go from there. All of this was so strange. In an attempt for normalcy, he issued Blaise a challenge.

"Care for a game of wizard's chess?"

Blaise grinned "You're on!"

* * *

Hermione barely made it out of the portrait before rounding into him. Draco was caught off guard by her outburst and barely had time to defend himself from the assault she was asserting on his left shoulder.

"A back to school bash?! What in the name of Godric were you thinking!" It was at this moment she began to pace. "Now we have to go to McGonagall and actually plan this! Do you know how much stress that's going to add?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she paced. Draco found himself watching her with great concern. If she was all hyped up over something theoretical, he hated to see how much of a tizzy she would work herself into over something real. He was a witness to her slight break down earlier and didn't want to see a repeat. He grabbed her left shoulder, spinning her around to him stopping her mid-pace; then he used his right hand to lift her chin so that she would meet his eyes.

"Hermione. It is okay. I understand it was a rash decision, however, it was the only thing that I could think of at the moment. If we decide to go through with planning this, I will only ask for your input. I will take on the heavy planning. Okay?"

All she could feel was the heat radiating from his hand. His gaze was piercing and was unwavering as he told her his plan. He had very nice eyes. They were full of depth and seemed to have secrets hidden in them. Maybe that's why she trusted him. She knew that he had seen many things that were worse than a panic attack or self-inflicted scars, but before her mind could jump down that rabbit hole, she took a deep breath to ground herself.

Draco watched on with interest as she fought her inner turmoil. He wasn't going to force her to answer that quickly. He knew that she had to work it all out in her mind before giving an answer. If there was anything that he was sure of, it was that Hermione never gave an answer that wasn't thought through. He waited and watched as she moved her teeth nervously along her bottom lip until she gave a sigh.

"I'm not going to lie, it does sound like a great idea. It would be beneficial to help diminish some of the tension that's still hanging around."

Hermione continued to think about all that they could do for the back to school bash.

"I'll help you plan it. Let's go ahead to McGonagall to get permission."


End file.
